Meet Cynthia Grande; the founding attorney at The Grande Lawfirm and a prime example of the age-old saying knowledge is power. At The Grande Lawfirm, Cynthia and her team help the Latine community advocate for themselves no matter their legal status in the U.S. by providing access to information, guidance and someone to trust. Having come from an immigrant background herself, Cynthia’s story and reasoning behind her life’s work is not only inspiring, but admirable.
Interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.
Can you tell us a little about yourself and the work your law firm does?
We help immigrants and their families live without fear and, instead, live the American dream. I love that I get to do that every single day! Growing up as someone surrounded by immigrants who only spoke Spanish, I saw the vital need in our community to have representation that looked and spoke like us. One of the things that drove me to start my firm was wanting to be that person who could relate to the experiences of immigrant families.
What’s been the biggest inspiration in your career?
My family has definitely been the biggest inspiration for me and the experiences that they’ve had in terms of their immigration process, as well as the extended family and what they’ve had to go through. Navigating the US legal system is really complicated in general – it isn’t easy to understand, especially when you don’t know the language. Over the years there have been different challenges that people in my family have had, which motivates me to make sure that other families don’t have to go through the same things.
Were there any events and/or individuals that inspired you to take this path?
When I was 11 years old, my grandma was catching a bus after leaving her job as a caregiver. As she was crossing the street, a car ran her over and she died on impact. This happened in South Los Angeles. She was my mom’s mom, so when this occurred, my mom expected answers from the police department to make sure that justice happened, and nothing did – nobody investigated. I remember hearing my mom trying to get answers in the middle of grieving and feeling like this was unfair; families shouldn’t have to go through this just because of a language barrier. We were just one of many people who didn’t have our voices represented. It’s that feeling of helplessness that my family and I felt at that time that constantly pushes me today to make sure that other families don’t have to feel that way.
As a Latina, what have been your greatest challenges?
As a Latina, some of my greatest challenges have been feeling comfortable in places where there aren’t a lot of people that look like me or have had similar experiences as me. Only 2% of attorneys in the country are Latina. Latinos are going to be the majority in California in a couple of years, and our representation doesn’t reflect that. When I was in law school, I had to remind myself of all my ‘why’s’: why I wanted to be in law school, why I wanted to have my license and why I wanted to start a business. Even though there have been circumstances and situations that would make me want to quit, staying motivated and focused on the ‘why’s’ allowed me to stay connected to the bigger picture. Reminding myself that I belong is ongoing.
Is the 2% here in California, or in the United states?
It is in the United States. We don’t have the numbers to reflect in California, but anecdotally, whenever I happen to be in the courtroom or in lawyer conferences, very often those numbers of women and especially women of color are even less in comparison to the rest of the room.
In your years of practice, what’s been the best advice you’ve received about being an attorney?
The best advice that I have received as an attorney is to be able to find WHY I became an attorney in the first place. In the legal profession, it is easy to get caught up in stress, nuances, and the day-to-day. You can very quickly lose sight of WHY you wanted to go to Law school. The advice to stay connected to WHY I wanted to be a part of this profession has been the thing that helps me stay focused – I remember the families that I want to impact and the difference that I want to make. Staying connected to your WHY is so critical as a lawyer. If you don’t have a WHY, then it is very easy to lose focus.
Why is it important to give more Latinas an opportunity to practice law?
Because our community out there looks like us. I also think that as Latinas, we have a unique set of experiences that contribute a lot to the legal profession. It’s giving that opportunity for diversity that I think will really allow law as a whole to reflect what our country looks like today.
How can we create more opportunities?
- Financially. Law school is so expensive! It was expensive when I went to law school maybe 13 years ago. Inflation is happening and today the cost of tuition alone is about $250-$300 thousand dollars. Even though Latinos have different experiences, the majority of times we don’t have access to that money, so it is important that there are scholarship opportunities for Latinas. I am a board member for the Latina Lawyers Bar Association, which is the only Latina Bar Association in the country, specifically focused on creating access for scholarships. We are one organization doing this work, but what if we had more organizations across the country? We could really make a difference.
- Mentorship – Making sure that Latina’s get connected with other Latina’s that are going through the process of becoming a lawyer. I get so excited to be able to speak with students! Just two weeks ago I got to speak with a graduating high school student who wants to be a lawyer one day. I got to share information that I didn’t even have until I was a 3rd year in law school. Having access to information can really elevate and help students plan their path to becoming an attorney one day. I knew at a young age that I wanted to be a lawyer but I didn’t really understand what a lawyer was until I was in highschool or college. Once I was in college and people told me about applying for law school, it was like a foreign country to me. Once I was in law school people told me about the bar exam when I didn’t know there was a test to take after law school. That’s why mentorship is important – to support people through their journey.
What special power do Women of color have in the field? I.e. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomaor – Vice President Kamala Harris – Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson –
I think that the special power is being able to listen and hear things that other people wouldn’t be able to hear because of very different experiences. An additional special power is having the ability to adapt to situations because of experiences growing up. I think that when you live a certain experience it helps see a different perspective. As people in these fields, you are able to contribute and make sure that representation happens by understanding and adapting easier than others.
As a Woman, what can you tell us about Roe v Wade?
I am hopeful that the final decision is inconsistent with what has been shared in the media. I do think that women have the right to, and it is important that in our profession when people give their word to follow precedent, that they follow through.
What’s next for you and what do you still hope to accomplish?
To continue to impact and empower as many immigrant families as possible through the work that we do at The Grande Law Firm. We currently are based in Los Angeles and have other locations in Northern California, but I would love the difference that we make to be all over the country and I am hopeful that one day we are known as the leading law firm that empowers immigrants and their families to live the American dream. Another thing that I discovered that I am passionate about is entrepreneurship. As a Latina, I have had so much fun creating, having a vision and being able to see it fulfilled. I would love to empower other Latin entrepreneurs to take their visions and step in to them, fulfill them and really scale their businesses so that we can have an impact in the country and in the world. So being able to be a resource for people who want to pursue their dreams – I hope I can accomplish this in the future.
Do you have any final thoughts that you would like to share?
I just want to say that I love the work that you are doing at Virago. We are such a powerful community with resources and I really see that we can make a big difference in the world. I love being a part of something that empowers our communities!
Editor’s note: We love you too, Cynthia! 💜